Attention:

The Ralph Ellison Library at 2000 NE 23rd St is closed for upgrades beginning April 16. We anticipate reopening on May 6.

Joy Harjo

Remember you are this universe, and this universe is you.

On Saturday, April 29 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Belle Isle Library is hosting recent U.S. Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo and celebrating her upcoming children's book, Remember illustrated by Michaela Goade.

After renovation, the Belle Isle Library opened on April 8, 2022 with a sculpture titled, Nourishment, that has en excerpt from Joy Harjo's poem Remember.

Join us as we hear from Joy Harjo, celebrate poetry month and our connection to the Earth, and the 1-year anniversary of the Belle Isle Library re-opening! Begin the day by meeting Joy Harjo and hearing her read her poetry and stay for family-friendly activities.

Joy Harjo will be available for a book signing following her presentation. Books will be sold by Full Circle Bookstore. Joy Harjo and Michaela Goade's books will also be available for check out from the library.

Earth Day and Poetry Month Events

Poetry in 28 Words! Take Home Kit

04/28/2025 @ 10:00am - 05/12/2025 @ 4:00pm
Kids, Teens, Adults
Downtown Library
Registration Required
Library Branch: Downtown Library
Room: Online (Downtown)
Age Group: Kids, Teens, Adults
Program Type: Cultural Experiences, Take-Home Kit, Writing
Registration Required
Event Description:

Write poetry in 28 Words! Classical Chinese Jueju is a four line poetry stanza using 7 words per line creating a balance between the "Yin and Yang" elements of sound.

Disclaimer(s)

We can only guarantee one kit per registration.  Please register individually to ensure that kits are appropriately distributed.  Special notes should not be used for additional registrations.

Thank you for your help!

Pick Up Your Name and Write Your Poetry

6:00pm - 8:30pm
Teens, Adults
Edmond Library
Library Branch: Edmond Library
Room: Meeting Room AB (Edmond)
Age Group: Teens, Adults
Program Type: Cultural Experiences, Writing
Event Description:

Join biographer Betty Blanks as she shares some of Wilma McDaniel's poetry, and her story moving from Oklahoma to California during the Dust Bowl.

Pie, Poetry, and the Life of Okie Poet Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel

2:00pm - 3:00pm
Adults
Del City Library
Registration Required
Library Branch: Del City Library
Room: Meeting Room AB (Del City)
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Author Events, Books & Reading, Community & Civics
Registration Required
Event Description:

Join us for a slice of pie as author Betty Blanks tells us about the life of Okie poet Wilma McDaniel (1918-2007). McDaniel wrote several pieces the bounty of the earth and the join of good company, including sharing pie!

Disclaimer(s)

The library makes every effort to ensure our programs can be enjoyed by all. If you have any concerns about accessibility or need to request specific accommodations, please contact the library.

We cannot guarantee that food served at this program has not come into contact with tree nuts, soy, or other allergens. Accordingly, the Library will not be liable for such harm to any individual resulting from such allergens.

Be Advised:  This program may be photographed and/or videotaped for publicity purposes.

By Attending, you consent:  To the use of your voice and likeness in future publicity uses that contain content from this event. If you do not wish to be on camera, please let us know.

For more information visit our Photography & Video Disclaimer

Pie & Poetry: The Life of Okie Poet Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel

6:00pm - 7:30pm
Teens, Adults
Bethany Library
Library Branch: Bethany Library
Room: Meeting Room A (Bethany)
Age Group: Teens, Adults
Program Type: Author Events, Books & Reading
Event Description:

Join us for a slice of pie as author Betty Blanks tells us about the life of Okie poet Wilma McDaniel (1918-2007). McDaniel wrote several pieces the bounty of the earth and the join of good company, including sharing pie!

Disclaimer(s)

The library makes every effort to ensure our programs can be enjoyed by all. If you have any concerns about accessibility or need to request specific accommodations, please contact the library.

We cannot guarantee that food served at this program has not come into contact with tree nuts, soy, or other allergens. Accordingly, the Library will not be liable for such harm to any individual resulting from such allergens.

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About Joy

Joy Harjo is an internationally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She served three terms as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States from 2019-2022 and is the winner of Yale's 2023 Bollingen Prize for American Poetry.

The author of ten books of poetry, including the highly acclaimed, Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light: Fifty Poems for Fifty Years, several plays and children's books, and two memoirs, Crazy Brave and Poet Warrior, her many honors include the National Book Critics Circle Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, the Ruth Lily Prize for Lifetime Achievement from the Poetry Foundation, the Academy of American Poets Wallace Stevens Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. As a musician and performer, Harjo has produced seven-award winning music albums including her newest, I Pray for My Enemies. She served as Executive Editor of the anthology When the Light of the World was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through - A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry and the editor of Living Nations, Living Words: An Anthology of First Peoples Poetry, the companion anthology to her signature Poet Laureate project.

She is a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, Board of Directors Chair of the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation, and is the first Artist-in-Residence for Tulsa's Bob Dylan Center. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Joy Harjo Books